Customary law relating to the environment : South Pacific Region : an overview

Abstract

TO THE South Pacific Commission Tleis doourenL was prepared by SPC urder Frioj@t FPl0503-79-15 as aontrilrrtion to the develognent of, a Sorath Pacific Regional E:riirorrrentPrograEne. Xts ccrrtents, aorrclusions aru:l reqmendatims do rrotreessarily souTH PACIFIC REGTONAL EIyTRoNMENT pRqcRA.t,tHE-cusToMARY LAr.t RELI T rNG T.0THE ENVIRONMENTs0uTn PAC,rFrg REG {ON'AN OVENVTEW'Mere PuleaMere Pulea and Associates,Fl i iSOUTH PACIFIC COMI'f I.SSION,NOUMEA, NEW CALEDONIA.May f985.Reprinted JuIv 1987 PREFACElFlve Ylars ago tJTe unlftd l'lations conferene on the lJuun Envirorncnt{Stocki'ltn, 5-1-6 June, Ig7?) adopterl ttre Action plan for tlre HwunErn/jroment, hglralng $re General Principlea for Asgessnent 8nd controlof !'larire Polrutlon. in $re light of the |ourL of t},e stachholnconferene, the untted Nations"@nerar Assgnbrv en"raed to estabtlsh tll€Untt€d Natlons Errvirmnent prrcgranne (Ul,lEp) to',' sen€ a"-.Jo..f pointfor ernrlrornrental action ana c6-onaination wi$rin t}le udted NatJ.masystsn " (General Assenbly_reeorution )offJr of rs drrber;$iu. Ttreorganizatlqrs of the unitid tlations "y"terr, *ere irvited to', aaopt ur"rEasures that may be rqtrired to urgeitafe "dcftd ard o-cdjnatdp0roqramFs with regalt to internaLional envirornnntaf .rySl,errs ', and 15err intergoverrnurtat a1n r-tgrr*n:nntal ,, \,,,rre algo iilritea- -.to p*afull )in L974. Cryrsultatimsbetrren sPc ard IJNEP led, in 1975, to the sr-ggeetjon of organizlrry aScuth Paciflc Cqrference pn Ule Hrnran Envirornent. The Sorth paeiilcBureau for Eorsn:lc ec]-operaUion (SPff) ard tfre @rfarenoe on the tnplaqentatlor the BIslsdE BIslsdE for !4arEqirg t&e tlatura.l to the to tfiscuss law and p.R0 rr c0urulr r ER E1 _El.tyL{9ry_Ex-_q-sI.RESUME.Avant dreBEsyer de tratter dee problEmee du drolt coutunlerct de lfenvlronnenent,. tr convrent de proposer une d6flnJtton dpX.a coutuDe ou egt-eonfltts par ou est-el1e en fin droit coutuuier archives ori le remplac6 1a de I CONTENTS-I.1,r.rv.V.INTRODUCTIONIITIAT IS CUSTOI{ARY I.AW ?PAS.AGRAPNS..-rl---r-36!1415 2425 394O- 505l- 6263 6970- 8788- 9tATT.III. PACIFTC LEGAL SYSTEMS TODAYROLE A}ID SCOPE OF CUSTOITIARY LA}Jvr.INCORPORATION OF CUSTOM.A,RY tAW INTOTTTE LqGAL SYSTEMCUSTOMARY AbID I,EGA.t TENUREREFERENCESVII. MAIN CATEGORIES OF CUSTO}'TARY RIGTITS ANDPRACTICES TO [.AND AIID COASTAL REEOURCESVIII. }IAIN CATEGORIES OF CUSTOMARY RIGHTS A}IDPRACTICES TO MARINE RESOURCESIX . CONCLUSION In the the protection the formal rs rt in this and pr4ctices of a variety so acting".acting".states that this definition, ries in what is in western is that:-it is recognized privilege' or tacit In situations he reasong, a court; solo delicto.Hoebel's definition definition also considered Pospisil's definition "Iatd is conceived rules or of conduct their violatlon by a exercise as contror as as the of religio-rnagical It could that the force in is vit.al of the in the of health, sanitation, ancestors and trees or of others could be said to 13. Cl